cleaver

plural cleavers

1. A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for hacking through bones, etc.

   Concurrently with Flay's visualization of the cleaver falling—the cleaver fell.

   1946, Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan

   2 more examples

   When he came to Nottingham, he entered that part of the market where butchers stood, and took up his inn in the best place he could find. Next, he opened his stall and spread his meat upon the bench, then, taking his cleaver and steel and clattering them together, he trolled aloud in merry tones:...

   1883, Howard Pyle, chapter V, in The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC

   The vehicle was searched and, along with the contents from Mrs Patel’s car, officers found a black baton and a silver meat cleaver.

   2018 June 26, Aban Quaynor, quoting Jonathan Close, “Man committed crime 2 months after UK entry”, in Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn, Lancashire, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11, column 1

2. A Paleolithic biface.
3. BahamasentertainmentA type of clave, or rhythm stick, a concussive musical instrument used in traditional Bahamian music.
4. figurativelyThe act of eliminating someone or something, especially when done by someone with a history of other eliminations; a dismissal, rejection, or removal.

   Conte has broken the mould further with the suggestion he might escape the Abramovich cleaver, becoming the first of his line to leave by his own volition.

   2017 May 13, Barney Ronay, “Antonio Conte’s brilliance has turned Chelsea’s pop-up team into champions”, in the Guardian

   Synonyms: axe

5. hobbiesA type of oar blade with an asymmetric, mostly rectangular shape that resembles a cleaving knife.
6. geometryA line segment that bisects the perimeter of a triangle and has one endpoint at the midpoint of one of the triangle's three sides.

plural Cleavers

1. A surname from Middle English.

   The Eric Revis Trio, featuring the pianist Kris Davis, the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Gerald Cleaver performing at the Jazz Gallery.

   2015 June 18, Nate Chinen, “Review: Eric Revis Trio Lets the Music Lead the Way at the Jazz Gallery”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022